New Zealand luxury holiday
How this holiday makes a difference
Environment
When it comes to environmental policy there are few countries more pro-active than New Zealand, which leads the way (with Iceland and Costa Rica) to become one of the world’s first carbon neutral countries. There are a rapidly growing number of tourism businesses in New Zealand taking steps to minimise their environmental impact and many organisations have achieved Green Globe accreditation including hotels, regional tourist boards, activities and visitor centres, each demonstrating a commitment to sustainable environmental practices.
Coach and rail travel means less carbon emissions from multiple vehicles on the roads, and so is mindful of the environment.
We are committed to assisting the Kiwi Encounter conservation programme at Rainbow Springs in Rotorua. Every client who books a holiday to New Zealand with us will be contributing to this incredible conservation effort. It is the only facility in the world that has been purpose built for the incubation and rearing of kiwi and is the only place in New Zealand where you can see this work in action and get closer to kiwi than ever before. This is a huge conservation effort to stop the extinction of a species that is New Zealand’s national icon and it all happens before your eyes. The proceeds from your entrance ticket go directly towards continuing this conservation work and to continue growing the numbers of kiwi eggs that are hatched and raised each year on-site at Kiwi Encounter.
We are proud to hold the AITO 3-star Responsible Travel accreditation recognising our commitment to sustainable tourism. We support a number of extremely worthwhile organisations and causes, including Friends of Scott Polar Research Institute (SPRI) at the University of Cambridge. Their pioneering research investigates social and environmental issues in the Arctic and Antarctic, such as global warming.
Back home we have an active environmental policy in our office including recycling bins throughout; printing our brochures on FSC accredited paper from sustainable forests; systems to encourage a paperless office; and movement sensor lights which use the latest energy-saving long-life elements.
Community
Our travel partner is an official National Awareness Partner of Alzheimer’s Australia whose contribution is through fund raising donations. Their staff members actively organise fund raising activities each year. They also look to tour participants to assist with loose coin donations on the final night of their tour in New Zealand, thereby raising funds for this fantastic cause.
We are dedicated to ensuring that local communities and the environment are treated with the utmost care and respect by visitors. All the places visited on this tour benefit from the positive effects of tourism; economic benefits for local businesses and enterprises and employment for residents, thus contributing to the overall economic growth of each region. We support local communities by using locally owned and run hotels, activity operators and guides where possible, and encouraging guests to visit local attractions, eat in local restaurants and buy local produce and crafts.
We have a close working relationship with our suppliers to encourage them to share our concerns about minimising impact on the environment whilst maximising the benefit to the local communities. Our guests are encouraged to respect the native Maori people, their culture, traditions and customs and to experience and support this fascinating heritage first hand.
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